First published on 1st April, 2007 in StarMag 

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE

By Gene Luen Yang

Publisher: First Second, 240 pages

I SPENT an hour yesterday laughing out loud over Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese. The book just won the Michael L. Printz Award, which is awarded for excellence in young adult literature. It’s the first time a graphic novel has won this prize (the book was also nominated for the National Book Award’s Young People’s Literature prize). Fans of the format are, I’m sure, over the moon, as this is surely a huge step towards graphic novels being valued, celebrated and promoted as worthy of a teenager’s time, money and attention.

Of course, most children and teens have no doubt that comics are cool. It’s their parents and teachers who have reservations about them. (Comic books are not allowed in school and will be confiscated if found in bags during spot checks!)Read More »